April 2014 archive

So we were lucky enough to hit up Groovin’ The Moo Canberra on Sunday, for a wicked show of music featuring the likes of big acts such as Disclosure, The Presets, The Jezabels, with a host of rising stars like The Kite String Tangle, Vance Joy and Allday. To mix things up we have gone with an acrostic review, so here it goes:

C is for Covers – Pretty much every band mixed up their show, and in true festival spirit played some covers that got the whole crowd going. From Allday’s rendition of OutKast’s ‘I’m Sorry Ms Jackson’, to Loon Lake’s electrifying version of The Darkness’s ‘I Believe in A Thing Called Love’, and even Andy Bull’s retro classic ‘Everybody Wants To Rule The World’, each was epic and special. The Kite String Tangle topped it off with his titanic and infectious cover of ‘Tennis Court’ by Lorde, complete with crowd groans.

A is for Andy Bull – who can definitely hit a high note. One of the best sets of the morning, he played a host of new songs, including his classic duet ‘Dog’ (originally featuring Lisa Mitchell), and major singles ‘Keep on Running’ and ‘Baby, I Am Nobody Now’. Obsessed with synth, he played the first set that really got the festival going for us.

N is for new songs - of which plenty were on display. Allday, Andy Bull, The Kite String Tangle, and Vance Joy all dropped brand new tracks which are yet to make it onto a record. Add the fact The Presets, Naked and Famous, Jezabels, Architecture in Helsinki, all ripped out tracks that have dropped in the last couple of months, and it was nigh on impossible not to get excited at all the new music hitting my ears for the first time.

B is for Burgers – If you had one of the burgers, you would understand why this gets a special mention in the acrostic review. Not only filling, but juicy and full of greasy goodness, they hit the spot. In fact all the food I saw looked good, Kebabs I can vouch for being yum, and the ease of getting drinks made the day a win for all over 18.

E is for Erratic Dancing – When it comes to dancing, Architecture in Helsinki took the cake with a freaking awesome display of whole band synchronised dance moves that made the crowd go mental. Special mentions also go to Hayley Mary’s kicking display for the Jezabels, the duo from The Presets, and the hip hop stylings of Illy. However the dance tent was were it was at, with Whatsonot, Peking Duck and Disclosure, sending the crowd into a fury of intense grooves, ensuring many tired legs by the end of the night.

R is for Rock n’ Roll – GTM has long embraced a good mix of pop, indie and heavy rock and 2014 was no exception. Parkway Drive were clearly a major drawcard and even though their music isn’t my thing, they put on a show. It is intense, fast and their fans are more than dedicated. But perhaps it was Loon Lake who summed it up best with the priceless and slightly ironic quote ‘Its bloody dangerous playing rock n’ roll”

R is also for rain-free - Yeah, so it didn’t rain. Which was a major plus as it had threatened all day, and despite the thermometer not climbing over 16 degrees all day, it didn’t stop people getting their short shorts and singlets on to dance

A is also for Attire – Once again the onesies where out in force, with cows, lions, stationary and a host of Disney characters on display. There is nothing like seeing a slutty Alice in Wonderland hooking up with Crayola Crayon to make your day out at a festival truly memorable. Oh yeah, and the sick 12 hour line-up of bands that blew us away.

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Ex-Canberra, now Brisbane based Fox and Fowl are set to delight us all with the release of their latest self-titled EP.

There is so much to love about Fox and Fowl’s self titled debut, from the aptly named African-pop number ‘Jungle Punch’, to the scintillating guitars of debut single ‘Pilot’. ‘Neon Colours’ is my pick off the EP, with its slightly heavier vibe and differing pop structure giving it a very distinctive feel. It maintains the indie pop enthusiasm with the cascading guitars and pulsing drums, but the use of pauses with that extra structure just makes it hit the spot perfectly.

Sounding very much like The Jungle Giants, Two Door Cinema Club and The Griswolds, Fox and Fowl aren’t covering any new ground, but boy are they are making some addictively energetic tropical pop. The production by Yanto Browning, who is also responsible for the The Jungle Giants latest album, is top notch and perhaps an additional stroke of genius.

Distinctively in the indie pop persuasion, Fox and Fowl have unleashed a host of upbeat African and Carribean pop stylings to produce and EP that is fast, fun and so damn catchy.

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Brisbane’s The Phoncurves have released their EP ‘Heartstrings’ on the world, and given us a collection of four songs to melt our ears too.

The Phoncurves create their music around the perpetually strong and stirring vocal combination of Abbie Roberts and Naomi Hodges. These two have voices just that just belong together, whether it be harmonising as in ‘Heartstrings’, bouncing off one another like in ‘Motionless’, you just cannot argue that the pair don’t make just ear-warmingly beautiful sounds.

Add the instrumental arrangement of delicate hi-hat drumming and soft acoustic guitars, and you get an EP that pushes folk pop to the far extremes of sweetness without being sickly so. Each of the four tracks, is well layered, makes a great use of pauses and silence, and just envelops an overall emotional and stirring vibe. The whole EP has this undercurrent of grunge and sadness characteristic of a bluesy rock number, but it is delivered so sweetly you wouldn’t even notice.

Having recently been a Triple J Unearthed ‘Feature Artist’, its safe to say the anticipation about The Phoncurves latest EP has not been unjust, with the pair delivering a delightful second tasting.

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Dune Rats have launched another fast paced single ahead of their forthcoming album, called ‘Funny Guy’.

Filled with that classic Dune Rats sound, ‘Funny Guy’ is lightening quick, punky and hits you like a punch to the face (in a good way). With a host of tours coming up inlcuding a May UK/Europe tour and June/Dune Australian tour chances are there will be no excuses to miss these guys and their explosive live show. Get on it.

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Brisbane indie rockers The Cairo’s have just dropped their latest single ‘Desire’.

‘Desire’ is very poppy number, with a host of hotly layered guitars pinging off high notes, whilst steady drumming just pushes the track along. The Cairos are no strangers to vocal hooks, and needless to say ‘Desire’ is packed with them. Following on from a host of great recent singles ‘Shame’, ‘Obsession’, etc ‘Desire’ definitely shows a different side to The Cairos, and is a little more reminiscent of their early EP ‘Colours Like Features’. With more music due to drop later in the year, get excited for more from The Cairos.